Dilator.



R. s. ARTHUR. DILATOR.

' APPLIUATION FILED MAY 17, 1909. 972,983.

Patented Oct.18,1910.

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E. s. ARTHUR.

DILATOR.

I I APPLICATION FILED MAY 7, 972,983, A 1 Patented Oct. 1&1910.

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RICHARD S. ARTHUR, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR-OF ONE-HALF TO LESTER R. LANTZ, OF WYALUSING, PENNSYLVANIA.

DILATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 18, 1910.

Application filed May 17, 1909. Serial No. 496,550.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, RICHARD S. ARTHUR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dilators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of my invention is to afford to the profession a dilator, which, while of in creased efficiency, shall obviate certain dangers incident to the employment of other dilators now in use and be of facile construction and handy in operation.

With this object in view, my invention consists, generally, in a dilator, the operative, or functional, portion of which may yield upon pressure thereon; and, specifically, in a dilator and features thereof as shown and all as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of my specification, and in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts, I show some of various forms of embodiment of my invention, the broad, or

generic principle of which is the yieldingnature of the working part.

In these drawings, Figure I is a view in perspective, with a part broken away, showing a barrel, forming the handle, screwthreaded at its outer end for a screw-cap and, at its inner end, having a boss, or head, carrying sockets pivoted to it, either fixedly or by insertion through curved incuts, the sockets having, at their pivots, gear-segments, and each socket having a pin within to hold an inserted instrument, blade, or finger from turning, and having openin s, or being fenestrated, for ready cleansing, t 1e barrel, or hollow handle, being marked with pressure-indication; Fig. II is a view in perspective corresponding in position with Fig. I, and showing, in addition thereto, some forms of blades, fingers, fimbriae, or instruments to be inserted into the sockets; Fig. III is a view in side-elevation of a rod, or spindle, screw-threaded at one end just beyond a collar having a brass, or other, ring on it for a pointer to the indication-marks on the handle, to tell the pressure, and squared at the other to take, and hold, a turner, the

spindle to be inserted into the barrel with the screw-end inward, while the sockets are drawn together, the screw then meshing with the segments; Figs. IV, V, and VI are views, respectively, in side-elevation, in perspective, and again in perspective, respectively of a spiral spring to be inserted into the barrel, around the spindle and against the collar (which has the ring to register at a mark, indicating degree of pressure of and on the the spring and, thus, on the patient); of the cap to be screwed on the outer end of the barrel to act as an abutment to the spring, (thus to afford a resilient seat for the blades to let them yield); and of a turner to turn the spindle and expand the blades positively against the tension and force of the spring, or to retract them positively slacking the spring; Fig. VII is a View in horizontal, longitudinal section, showing the parts all assembled, with blades contracted; Fig. VIII is a nearly similar view, showing the same, with blades expanded; Fig. IX is a view in side-elevation of a modification of the embodiment of the invention displayed in Figs. I to VIII, showing the blades, or fingers, arranged laterally of the handle and actuating-mechanism, in this instance, as an example, instead of there being pivoted sockets, the blades being, themselves, pivoted, as by being set in lugs, or projecting bearings, with the pivot-pin of each blade set or hooked into place through a slot in its bearing; Fig. X is a view in side-elevation of the rear portion of one of these blades, or fingers, showing the situation of the pivot-pin and a rear pin, or projection from the rear of a blade, or finger, pressure on, or under, which will, respectively, expand, or contract, the fingers; Fig. XI is a view in rear-elevation of a fixed plate, disk, or spider, with a fragment of the upper end of the hollow handle in vertical longitudinal section, showing attachment to the handle of the fixed plate and this with lugs in pairs forming forked, or bifurcated, bearings for the fingers; Fig. XII is a view in vertical, longitudlnal section, but with the spindle and a movable, or actuating-plate, disk, or spider, having diagonal, or tangential, that is, slanting, slots toward its periphery, and provided with. a segment-gear, appearing in side-elevation, and the fixed plate, disk, or spider, in front of the actuating-plate provided, at its periphery, with the forward-projecting lugs, in pairs, for bearings for the blades, appearing in broken lines, the view being taken as of Fig. IX given a quarter turn to the right and showing the barrel, or hollow handle, the spindle, the spring, the cap, and the turner, the screw of the spindle meshing with the gear-segment of the slotted actuating-plate, and the rear end of each finger projecting, back of the pivot of the finger in a bearing of the fixed plate, into the outer end of a slot in the actuating-plate, whereupon, a slight rotation of this plate holds it in the slot and the finger-pivot to its seat; and Fig. XIII is a view in plan, looking down on the top of Fig. XI, showing the relations of the barrel, the spindle, and the actuating and fixed plates, and, particularly, the projecting bearings for the fingers, these bearings having incuts to bring an instrument to its pivotal seat.

It is not always possible, under the varied and multiform engrossments and anxieties of the conscientious practitioner, physician, or surgeon,to avoid accidents, as under employment of dilators, from unindicated, unexpected, or sudden, tenesmus, spasm, or contraction, involving laceration, or rupture, and it is to give comfort to the practitioner and security to the patient, that I have devised the present invention, supplanting the rigidity of the common form of dilator with resiliency. I will not elaborate upon its certainty and advantages, for the skilled practitioner and artisan will, at once, perceive these and its particular benefit to the modern gynecologist and obstetrician.

Referring to the examples in the drawings, and, first, to Figs. I to VIII thereof, A indicates a handle, screw-threaded at its outer end, at a, having a head or boss, a at its inner end, and provided at any desirable place in its body, as at a with a longitudinal slit marked at its sides with graduations indicated by figures. Pivoted in the boss, of, are sockets, B, having pivot-pins, b, on which they are either permanently set in the boss or are removably set therein, being introduced to their pivotal seats, and removed, through incuts, as at 6 and, to have motion imparted to them on their pivots, these sockets are provided, at their pivots, with gear-segments, Z), are fenestrated, or provided with openings in their bodies, as at 6 for easy cleansing, and have, each, within, a pin, 6 to keep any suitably-cleft or grooved instrument, inserted, steady in place, such as blades, or fingers, C, cleft at 0, for fimbriae, or instruments of any suitable form and kind. The handle, A is a tube to furnish, besides being a handle, a barrel, or casing, for certain operating mechanism, and, set into this casing is a rod, D, screwthreaded as at (Z, at the end to be set in and, at the other, shaped to facilitate turning, as by being squared, as at (P, the rod belng introduced into the barrel in such relation to the gear-segments, as by the sockets being contracted, that is, drawn together, or closed in, that the screw of the rod will mesh with the gear-segments and turning the rod in one direction, or the other, will open, or close, them. This rod is, thus, an actuating spindle. The extension of the sockets carrying instruments, that is, the degree of force applied, is indicated by the degree of introduction of the spindle into the barrel, opening the sockets and expanding the blades, and this is made visible by a marker,

preferably in the form of a ring, d on the spindle, and at the slit in the barrel, which, as the rod enters, or recedes, registers with the marks at the slit. On the spindle, at a suitable place thereon, as, for instance, at the place shown, is a collar, 03*, and this collar forms the basis of the principal feature of my invention. Set into the barrel, around the spindle and against this collar, is a coil-, or spiral-spring, E, and this is confined in the barrel by a cap, a serving to close the end of the barrel and present an abutment for the spring, a turner of any suitable form, such as a cross-piece, butterfly, or Winch, 0Z serving to turn the spindle. The exterior of the entire device may be silver-, or nickel-plated.

It will be obvious, that, under my invention, as illustrated in the embodiment abovedescribed, and as will appear in another form of embodiment presently to be described, the operative parts are spring-seated and not rigid against external pressure, the spring being of any desirable resistance, that is to say, while the sockets carrying the fingers will be opened or closed positively by turning the spindle, the screw engaging with the gear-segments to rotate them, yet, if the expansion, or spread, be too great or severe, pressure on the blades, or fingers, of the instrument from the parts, will turn the gear-segments back, or down, and, these meshing with the screw-thread on the spindle, as they cannot turn the screw, push the spindle back against the spring bearing on its collar, whereby the operative parts are resilient, or have elastic action, and the parts operated on, upon any great contraction, or over-distension, will find relief in a proper yield.

In the example displayed in'Figs. IX to XIII, the barrel, with slit, the spindle with its features, and the spring and its abutment are the same, but the operative mechanism and the fingers, instead of being at the end, are at the side of the handle and differ somewhat, in construction from those of Figs. I to VIII, though the principle is the same. Here, the fingers, C, are bent inward have pivots c at the bend, and, preferably, pins, 0 at their rear ends and, instead of being set into pivoted sockets are themselves, pivoted to the handle, that is, to a plate, disk, or spider, F, fixed to one side of the handle, by being set with their pivots in forward-projecting lugs in pairs, or bifurcated bearings, f, through incuts, F, in these bearings. Back of the plate, F, is a plate, disk, or spider, G, which has tangential, diagonal, or slanting slots, 9, toward its periphery, and a quadrant-gear, or segment-gear, 9 at its periphery, this plate being centrally swiveled upon the fixed plate and set thereon with its segment-gear meshing with the screw of the spindle, constituting a movable plate and an actuatingplate, as, the plate being brought with the outer ends of its slots opposite the pivots of the fingers, the rear-pin of each finger may be introduced into its respective slot, whereupon a slight turn of the plate will engage the finger and push its pivot to its seat, and further turning of the disk, as by the spindle and through the screw, will cause a pressure, or hearing down, on the fingers back of their pivots and, thus, open them, a turning in the opposite direction closing them.

It Will be obvious that strong pressure on the blades, or fingers, when open or eX- panded, will turn the plate, but the plate being incapable of turning the screw, it will force the spindle back against the pressure of the spring, affording resiliency, or elastic action to the fingers, as before.

Having, thus fully, described my invention, what I particularly claim, so far as I am now advised, is:

1. In a dilator of the character described, the combination with a plurality of expanding and contracting spring-seated blades or fingers, of a screw-threaded member in en gagement with said blades or fingers.

2. In a dilator of the character described, the combination with a plurality of expanding and contracting blades or fingers, of a spring seated, screw threaded actuating spindle in engagement with said blades or fingers.

3. In a dilator of the character described, the combination with a plurality of expanding and contracting blades or fingers, of a plurality of gears, a screw-threaded actuating spindle in engagement with said gears, and a spring for supporting the actuating spindle.

4. In a dilator of the character described, the combination with a plurality of expanding and contracting blades or fingers, of an actuating member normally rotatable to effect movement of the blades or fingers, said actuating member being resiliently supported.

5. In a dilator of the character described, the combination with a plurality of expanding and contracting blades or fingers, of means for actuating said blades or fingers including a series of gear-segments, and a yieldably supported screw-threaded spindle in engagement with said gear-segments.

6. In a dilator of the character described, the combination with a plurality of expanding and contracting blades or fingers, of an actuating member normally rotatable to effect movement of the blades or fingers, said actuating member being capable of longitudinal movement without rotation.

7. In a dilator of the character described, the combination with a plurality of expand ing and contracting blades or fingers, of means for actuating said blades or fingers including a series of gear-segments, and a threaded spindle in engagement with and normally rotatable to effect movement of said gear-segments, the aforementioned spindle being capable of longitudinal movement without rotating.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RICHARD S. ARTHUR. Witnesses:

R. G. DYRENFORTH, WILLIAM A. BOEGKEL. 

